A 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s eastern province of Maluku Islands on Thursday morning has killed at least 20 people, AFP reported. However, no tsunami warning has been issued.

The earthquake triggered landslides and buried at least one of the victims.

Indonesian officials classified it as a “strong” earthquake in Ambon city, about 40 km from the epicenter. A spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, Agus Wibowo, told reporters in Jakarta that 20 people died after the quake. “At least 100 people were injured and more than 2,000 evacuated,” he said, adding that an infant was among those killed.

Dozens of houses also suffered major damage and about 2,000 people have taken shelter across the province.

Rahmat Triyono, head of the earthquake and tsunami division at Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency, said the impact was felt across Ambon city and surrounding areas.

Architect Suryanto Soekarno said the construction site where he and his employees were working was hit by the tremor. “Filing cabinets fell over and my employees ran away to save themselves,” he told AFP. “Some were injured but thank God only with minor wounds.”

The geophysics agency reported a number of aftershocks, including one of magnitude 5.6.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations as it sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. It frequently experiences deadly earthquakes and tsunamis.

Now, follow and debate the day’s most significant stories on Scroll Exchange.